Sunderman unveils little free library

Legis. Rudy Sunderman recently joined with residents of Mastic to unveil a brand-new Little Free Library, located at the Suffolk Transit bus stop on Herkimer Street, adjacent to Brookhaven Town’s Mastic Recreation Center. The Little Free Library, a charming handmade kiosk, is filled with books for borrowing. Children, parents and all community members can access this library and share books. “I encourage everyone to visit this Little Free Library to take a book and leave a book,” said Sunderman. The idea behind this initiative came from local Mastic resident Josmary Vergara as part of a community service project for her class at Long Island University Post; donations of material and construction costs were donated by Frank Dammeyer of Dammeyer Construction Inc. in Center Moriches. This project will give bus riders an opportunity to take and leave books to provide them with a source of entertainment while waiting for and riding the bus. The Little Free Library was designed to look like a lighthouse to reflect our waterfront community and, ironically, the unveiling took place on National Lighthouse Day. This is the newest addition to a network of Little Free Libraries throughout Suffolk County. Through Little Free Libraries, millions of books are exchanged each year, profoundly increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds. At the unveiling ceremony, Sunderman was joined by Vergara and her family, Dammeyer, Brookhaven Town supervisor Ed Romaine, and Marilyn Tucci of SILO.